Working Out While on the Road

Hitting the highway during the holidays? Check out these simple tips to keep your workout on track when you’re on the go.

Research your destination. Not sure if there’s a Gold’s Gym where you’re headed? Check out www.goldsgym.com/locator to find one in the city you’re traveling to. There are more than 610 Gold’s Gym facilities in 42 states and 30 countriesand with a Gold’s Gym Travel Pass, you get 14 free visits each year to any other Gold’s Gym location.

Plan on pounding some pavement? You can map your holiday run in advance by browsing and printing user-recommended running, walking, biking and hiking routes at www.mapmyfitness.com.

First up: workout clothes. If space is at a premium in your suitcase, pack one exercise outfit (top, bottom, socks and shoes) that you can wash in your hotel sink. Borrow detergent from your host or request some from your hotel’s front desk — or toss dissolving laundry paper ($6 for 30 single-use soap sheets; www.wishingfish.com) into your bag.

Next up: portable fitness gear. If you’re looking to squeeze in some exercise within the comfort of your room, consider tossing any (or all) of the following items into your luggage:

What:AquaBells ($59.95 for dumbbells; www.aquabells.com)Why: Fill these collapsible travel weights with tap water and you’ll have dumbbells that weigh as much as 16 pounds each.

What:GoFit Ultimate ProGym ($19.99; www.amazon.com)Why: This exercise kit contains two handles, three resistance tubes, two ankle straps, one door anchor, an exercise wall chart, a 25-minute DVD workout and a mesh bag to carry it all.

Take the stairs any chance you can. “You’ll be amazed how often you run across steps when you travel,” says Jackie Keller, founder of NutriFit, a health food company, and author of Body After Baby: The Simple 30-Day Plan to Lose Your Baby Weight.

Involve the family. “Suggest an evening walk around the neighborhood, a stroll around downtown or even a night out bowling,” suggests Michelle May, M.D., author of Am I Hungry? What to Do When Diets Don’t Work.

Take pint-size relatives to the park. Kids are naturally active, so surrounding yourself with young ones will no doubt wear you out (in a good way, of course). “As long as you’re moving, be it biking, Rollerblading or playing, you’re staying fit,” says Jyl Steinback, a personal trainer and author of 15 cookbooks.

BONUS: The Ultimate Hotel Workout

• Use the hotel phone book as a dumbbell and do bicep curls, overhead presses and front and side lateral raises.

• Grab a bathroom towel and use it as a stretching tool. Stretch the towel over your head and bend side to side. Try five times on each side for five to 10 seconds for a deep oblique stretch. Then, stretch the towel horizontally in front of you and slowly swivel to the right side, hold five seconds and then swivel to the left side and hold five seconds. Finally, sit on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you. Loop the towel around the bottoms of your feet to help stretch out your back and hold for 10 seconds.

• Pull out a hotel desk chair and do dips. Do three sets of five to 10 reps.

• Do three sets of 10 pushups and sit-ups on the hotel bed. The give of the mattress will challenge your balance and increase your core strength by working your stabilizing muscles.

• Staying on the top floor? Hit the stairs for a kick-butt cardio workout.